He's Not a Pet
by suzie2b
Summary: A member of the K-9 Corp needs help and Charley's in the middle of it.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **He's Not a Pet**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **After dropping her package off with the commanding officer of the 106** **th** **, Charley returned to the trucks to wait for the men to finish unloading the supplies they'd brought. Then some of the trucks would be reloaded with some things that they were taking back to base. She was sitting on the running board of Carl's truck, which had just been unloaded, when the ambulance that had been empty for the trip to the 106** **th** **pulled up for the return trip to Ras Tanura. She'd heard that a badly wounded soldier was being transferred for surgery that couldn't be provided at the encampment.**

 **Charley watched as the doctor and medic/driver got out and opened the back of the ambulance to let air flow through while they waited. Then there was a flurry of activity and yelling. She stood up as a four-legged streak of tan and black fur ran up and leaped into the ambulance.**

 **Four men were chasing after the animal and slid to a stop as the big German Shepard barked and snarled from inside the ambulance. Curious, Charley wandered over to see what was going on. She stood next to Carl and asked, "What's happening?"**

 **Carl said, "The guy in the ambulance is with the K-9 Corp. The dog must belong to him."**

" **Poor thing. He's only trying to be with his master." Charley ignored Carl's protests and walked slowly toward the ambulance. She gently pushed through the group of men that had gathered and said in a calm, quiet voice, "Back off, guys. You're only making things worse." The men stared at her in disbelief. Not one of them wanted to get near that dog, but this one small woman was moving forward. No one argued as the group backed away and only Carl continued to quietly protest. Charley heard someone chamber a round in a pistol. "Keep that gun lowered or he** _ **will**_ **attack. Just back off and stay quiet. Does anyone know his name?"**

 **A voice said, "I heard his handler call him Roc."**

 **Charley kept her eyes on the dog, watching its body language. Then in a low, commanding voice she said, "Roc! Stand down!"**

 **The dog immediately went silent and cocked his head as if wondering who the heck she thought she was. Charley took a small step forward, keeping her head high and her posture straight, showing no signs of weakness, but neither was she threatening. Roc watched her, a growl deep in his throat, his body tense. As she took another step, Charley said firmly, "Roc, sit." The dog hesitated, sniffing the air in her direction, then sat. "Good boy." She stopped as Roc looked back at the man inside the ambulance and whined. "Is that you dad in there?" The dog looked back at her. "It is, isn't it? Well, he's going to come with us to get taken care of. You want to come along to keep an eye on things?"**

 **Roc whined as Charley again approached. Then she held out her hand for the dog to inspect. He sniffed her skin, then pushed his big head against her palm. Charley began to scratch him behind the ears, then sat on the edge of the ambulance next to him. Roc turned and went to lay down next to his master's stretcher. Charley sighed and looked out at the crowd that had been watching. "Anyone know where Roc's leash is?"**

 **########################**

 **After another half hour, the convoy was ready to head back to base. Dr. Westin stepped up to Charley, who was still sitting on the edge of the ambulance, and said, "I'm afraid the dog can't come with us."**

 **Charley frowned. "Why not?"**

" **There just isn't enough room in the ambulance. Not to mention what might happen if I make a wrong move where the captain's concerned."**

" **Well then, he can ride with us." Charley looked at her driver, who stood next to her protectively. "Right, Carl?"**

" **I'd have to check with my sergeant first, but it's okay with me."**

" **Would you please go talk to Sergeant Davis then?"**

 **Carl nodded and hurried away only to return with Davis a few minutes later. The sergeant looked at the dog, then at Charley before he said, "I'm not sure it's a safe idea to have that animal in the truck. He'll be separated from his master..."**

 **Charley smiled. "Sergeant Davis, Private Jensen's truck is going back empty. I'll ride in the back with Roc. The ambulance will be right behind us. He'll know where his master is the whole time and keep whatever vigil he wants."**

" **Well…"**

 **Charley looked at him pleadingly. "I'll take full responsibility."**

 **Sergeant Davis sighed and thought silently, "Damn that look!" Then said, "All right."**

 **Charley grinned. "Thank you, Sergeant." She stood with Roc's leash in her hand. "Come on, boy, let's go." Roc sat up, but stayed where he was. Charley used a more commanding voice, "Roc, come." The dog whined and licked his unconscious master's hand, then followed her out of the ambulance.**

 **Roc quickly figured out that he wasn't being left behind when he was loaded into Carl's truck with Charley. He laid as close to the opening in the back as the leash in Charley's hand would allow, watching the ambulance as it followed.**

 **That evening, Dr. Westin brought a package to Charley. "I went through Captain Tanner's things. Found this dog food."**

 **Charley took it and grinned. "Oh great! I was wondering what I was going to feed him. How's the captain doing?"**

" **He's stable. I'm keeping him sedated."**

" **After I exercise Roc, do you think he could sleep in the ambulance? I'll collect him first thing in the morning to ride in the truck again."**

 **Dr. Westin smiled and agreed.**

 **########################**

 **The convoy pulled into Ras Tanura around midmorning. Tully was there waiting and smiled when he saw the trucks pull into the motor pool. He saw Carl get out of the truck, but there was no sign of his wife as he walked towards him. "Where's Charley?"**

 **Carl smiled. "Oh, hey Tully. She's in the back."**

" **In the back?" Tully followed Carl around and they found Charley sitting on the edge of the truck with Roc next to her. "What the … I suppose you're going to tell me he followed you home?"**

 **Charley laughed. "No. Just taking care of him while his wounded master is here for surgery." Tully reached up to help her down and Roc growled. "Roc, stand down." She took Tully's hand and held it so the dog could give it a sniff. "See, he's one of the good guys."**

 **Roc gave the hand a lick and allowed Tully a quick scratch on the head. He lifted Charley down and said, "He's a bit tense."**

 **As Carl lifted Roc down, Charley said, "The ambulance with Captain Tanner split from the convoy and headed for the hospital as soon as we got through the gate. Roc wasn't too pleased." She turned to her second favorite driver and took the leash from him. "Thanks, Carl. See you later."**

 **Carl chuckled. "Okay, Charley. You always make these trips interesting."**

 **Tully walked with Charley to headquarters with Roc perfectly heeled on the slack leash. The dog was watchful of any and all activity. He would gently nudge Charley's leg with his body to get her to move away from anyone or anything he deemed suspicious.**

 **After Charley had checked in, they stopped by the hospital. She handed the leash to Tully and said, "Wait here with Roc. I'm going to go talk to Vicky about Captain Tanner." She started to walk away and Roc began to follow. Charley turned and pointed at Tully. "Roc, stay." The dog snorted his displeasure before returning to an amused Tully to sit next to him.**

 **Ten minutes later, Charley returned. She handed the packages of dog food to Tully and took the leash. "I'm going to have to find some more food for him. He's going to be here longer than a couple of days."**

 **Tully fell into step next to her as they walked away. "Is Roc going to be staying with us while the captain heals up?"**

" **Well, yes and no. He'll be with me during the day. Vicky and Dr. Baker says Roc can spend nights under Captain Tanner's cot. It'll be good for both of them."**

 **Tully noticed that Charley was carrying what appeared to be some sort of rag. "What's that for?"**

" **It was in Captain Tanner's pack with the dog food. It's a hard rubber ball tied in an old sock. Looks like something that belongs to a dog." Roc spied the toy and gently took it from Charley's hand to carry. "Guess I was right."**

 **That evening, after being fed and walked, Tully threw a good game of fetch for Roc before they headed for the hospital. As soon as they walked in, Roc's nose started working out all the smells until he recognized the most important one. With a careful pull the dog led Charley and Tully to Captain Tanner's cot.**

 **Roc nudged his master's hand gently and whined, but got no response. The dog whined again and Charley knelt down. With an arm around Roc's shoulders she said quietly, "It's okay. He's just sleeping. He's going to be all right."**

 **Lois walked over and explained, "The surgery went well. They were able to save the captain's leg, but not his foot. We're keeping him sedated for now. Vicky told me about the arrangements. One of the orderlies found that small rug for the dog to sleep on."**

 **Charley reached under the cot and patted the rug. "Come on, Roc. Bed time." The dog crawled under the cot and got comfortable. She tied the end of the leash to the cot and said, "Stay." She scratched his ears and his bushy tail thumped on the floor. "See you in the morning." Charley stood up and said, "He's been fed, walked, and exercised. He should sleep through the night. Or until the captain wakes up."**

 **########################**

 **The next morning at breakfast Charley related what happened at the 106** **th** **. "He's really a good dog. He just wanted to be with his master and protect him."**

 **Troy said, "I've seen some of those dogs at work. Do you realize how much danger you were in?"**

 **Tully glanced at his wife. "That was my question too."**

 **Charley smiled. "I grew up on army bases. Base housing, base schools … didn't see a whole lot else until I was sixteen. Anyway, one of my favorite things to do was watch the K-9 Corp train and practice. I'd watch them for hours and some of the trainers would notice and talk to me. I picked up a lot just by watching. Then one day when a bunch of new recruits were starting their training Sergeant Carroll called me over. He guided me through a few commands and let me handle his dog, Smoke, for a few minutes. He told his recruits, 'If this twelve-year-old little lady can handle this dog, you damn well will do it too.'"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "And what did you father have to say about that?"**

" **He actually caught me handling Smoke once. But he watched and realized that I was being well looked after and the sergeant wouldn't have put me in danger."**

 **Hitch said, "So, Roc's going to follow you around during the day?" Charley nodded and he grinned at his fellow private. Hitch said jokingly, "I guess that means Tully won't need to be concerned about what you're up to while we're out on patrol."**

 **Tully chuckled. "Oh, I'll be concerned all right. Concerned I'm being replaced by a dog."**

 **After reassuring her husband that he wasn't going to be replaced any time soon, Charley watched them leave to head out on patrol. Then she headed for the hospital to pick up Roc. Captain Tanner was awake and the dog was sitting up next to the cot with his head resting on his master's chest while the captain stroked his coat. Charley smiled and said, "Good morning, captain." She scratched dog's head. "Mornin' Roc."**

 **Captain Tanner looked a little sad as he said, "You must be Charley, Roc's new friend. Thanks for taking care of him while I'm laid up."**

" **Not a problem, sir. He can spend the day with me and I'll bring him back this evening. He'll get plenty of exercise."**

" **The orderly that delivered my breakfast told me the story of how you took control of Roc when they were getting me ready for the trip here. Technically, he shouldn't obey anyone but me. How'd you know how to handle him?"**

 **Charley explained, "I'm an 'army brat'. We moved around a lot when I was growing up. One of my favorite things was to find where the K-9 Corp trained on base. I would watch them for hours. Sometimes one of the trainers would let me handle a dog just to prove to the new recruits it could be done." The captain chuckled, then grimaced and hissed with pain. Charley quickly said, "Oh, should I get a nurse?"**

 **Captain Tanner shook his head. "Nah. It's just phantom pain. It's kind of strange. My leg hardly hurts at all most of the time, but my foot that's not there anymore tends to hurt like a son-of-a-gun."**

" **I am sorry to hear about your leg, sir."**

" **Thanks. The doctors and nurses have been telling me ever since I woke up that I'm lucky to be alive." The captain sighed wistfully. "As soon as I'm well enough, I'll be heading back to the states for rehabilitation and civilian life." He stroked Roc's back. "I'm going to miss you, fella."**

 **Charley frowned. "Why? Isn't Roc going home with you?"**

" **Afraid the army doesn't allow that. After all, he's not a pet. Once I'm out of here, he'll get a new handler and go back to work. He's still got a few years before he retires. Always knew this could happen, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."**

 **Vicky walked up and said with a smile, "All right, Charley. It's time you and Roc left. Captain Tanner needs to rest."**

 **########################**

 **Roc followed Charley around as she did her morning deliveries, constantly vigilant of his surroundings. When they stopped at the supply depot to drop off some requisitions, Charley asked, "How do I go about getting some dog food?"**

 **Lieutenant Hill smiled as he looked over the counter at Roc. "For your friend here, I suppose?" Charley nodded. "It's all over base about what you did out at the 106** **th** **."**

 **Charley blushed. "All over base, huh?"**

 **The sergeant chuckled as he pulled a catalog from under the counter. "You can thank Private Jensen for most of it. He's quite fond of you, ya know."**

 **Charley's blush deepened as she realized she'd never thought about just how much Carl liked her. "He's a good guy."**

 **Lieutenant Hill grinned as he opened the catalog and flipped through the pages. "I don't believe I've ever been asked for dog food before. Dry or canned?"**

" **Dry please."**

" **Here we go. If I make the call right away I can have it here in tomorrow's shipment."**

 **Charley smiled. "Perfect. Thank you."**

 **After finishing her deliveries, Charley and Roc returned to headquarters to see if there was anything else she needed to do. There was nothing in her box, so she started to leave. But then she had a thought as she looked down at Roc sitting patiently by the door. "Come on, Roc." They ran up the stairs and went to Captain Boggs' office. "Hi, Corporal Green. Is the captain in?"**

 **The corporal smiled. "Hi, Charley. He is indeed. Let me see if he's busy."**

 **########################**

 **After her meeting with Captain Boggs and then Major Gleason, Charley and Roc stopped to pick up the laundry on the way back to the apartment. She noticed that Roc kept nudging her on the back of her legs. "What's your hurry, boy?" She turned to see what might be bothering him, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.**

 **However, Roc had noticed two Arab men standing outside a bar as he passed with Charley. Something about the two, other than the cheap booze they smelled of, seemed off to the dog and when they started to follow, Roc went on heightened alert.**

 **Charley had left the apartment door open and Roc was lying in the hallway just outside the door. She was hanging shirts in the closet when she heard Roc growl. Charley stepped out to see Roc standing tensely, baring his teeth as he growled. "Roc, what is it?"**

 **Charley went to the dresser and retrieved her pistol. She popped a clip in and chambered a round. She quietly crept to the door and peeked out. There were two armed Arabs at the end of the hall watching Roc. Charley asked loudly what they wanted. "Вхат до ёу вант?" There was no answer. She told them if they left, the dog would not hurt them. "Иф ёу леаве нов, тхе дог вилл нот харм ёу!" Charley saw one of them shoulder his rifle and aim at the dog. "Roc, come!"**

 **As Roc scrambled to her, a bullet hit the door jamb next to her leg, sending splinters flying. Charley slammed the door and locked it as the two Arabs ran down the hall. The door shuddered as they began to try to break it down.**

 **Outside, Tully and Hitch were crossing the street to go to the apartment when they heard that first gunshot. They were trying to determine where it had come from when Hamza and Hassan ran out of the café and told them they had heard a shot come from upstairs.**

 **As Tully and Hitch headed for the back stairs, they heard three more shots. With only knives for protection, they quickly went up the stairs and peered around the corner. They saw a body in the hallway and the legs of another lying in the apartment's doorway. Tully yelled Charley's name. There was no answer from her.**

 **At the sound of a voice, Roc started barking and snarling again, as if to tell whoever it was to go away. Hitch followed Tully down the hall, staying against the wall. The Arab outside the door was obviously dead with a bullet in the chest.**

 **When Tully carefully looked into the apartment, he saw Charley just starting to sit up on the floor and Roc growling menacingly, standing protectively in front of her. "Roc, it's me. One of the good guys, remember?" The dog stopped growling and looked at Tully. "You better stay out here, Hitch. He doesn't know you."**

 **Hitch said quietly, "Are you sure he knows you?"**

" **We've had a game of fetch."**

 **Charley looked up a Tully with a slightly dazed look as she put her hand on the side of her head. Then she said as commandingly as she could muster, "Roc, stand down."**

 **The big dog snorted and sat as Tully knelt to check the Arab in the doorway before he stepped over the body. "You okay, Charley." He moved quickly to her and helped her up. She nodded slowly as Tully checked her head. There was a bruise forming on her temple. He led her to the bed where she sat down. Roc sat down on the floor next to her. Tully asked, "What happened?"**

" **When they broke through the door, Roc jumped up and pushed me down. I hit my head on the dresser … but I think I got a couple of shots off before I blacked out."**

 **Tully watched Hitch drag the body out of the doorway with Roc carefully eyeing the private. "Yeah, you did."**

 **Hitch stood outside the door. "I'm going to go report this. Be right back."**

 **After the bodies were taken away and Charley had explained to the MPs what had happened, but had no idea why she and Roc were targeted, Tully and Hitch set about replacing the door and lock.**

 **Later, while Vicky checked Charley's bruised temple, Tully took Roc to Captain Tanner. He smiled as he scratched the big dog behind the ears and let him lick his face. Then the captain looked up at Tully and said, "News travels fast in a place like this. Heard what happened. Is Charley all right?"**

 **Tully nodded. "Yeah, but she's getting checked out. How are you feeling?"**

" **Not too bad actually. I had been feeling a little sorry myself … thinking I was on my way out of the army and losing Roc. But Major Gleason and Captain Boggs were here a little while ago. They were in contact with a Colonel Williams back in the states. Looks like there's going to be a training job waiting for me in the K-9 Corp at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, when I get healed up. I'll be able to take Roc with me." Captain Tanner grinned. "I had a talk with Charley this morning. Told her a few things I hadn't talked to anyone else about yet. I sort of get the feeling she had a hand in this."**

 **Tully looked around, then said quietly, "Well … you didn't hear it from me, but Colonel Williams is Charley's father. Knowing her as I do, she no doubt gave him a call."**

 **Tanner chuckled. "She did say she was an 'army brat' growing up."**

 **Tully grinned. "She still is, but I love her anyway."**

 **Charley stepped up and put her arms around Tully's waist. She smiled. "You're looking better this evening, captain."**

 **Tanner sighed as he stroked Roc. "Good to see you're all right. I had a visit this afternoon from your commanding officers. It seems I'm not going to be leaving the army or the K-9 Corp when I get out of here."**

" **Well, congratulations. I suppose that means Roc will be going home with you."**

 **The captain nodded. "That he will. I've already written to my wife and kids to explain everything. You know … I find it interesting that this all came down after our little talk this morning."**

 **Charley gave him her best innocent look. "Oh? What talk was that, captain?"**

 **Tanner grinned. "Never mind. I must have misunderstood."**

 **Charley smiled. "Well, we'll let you get some rest now." She scratched Roc's head. "I'll see you both in the morning."**

 **Outside, as they walked hand-in-hand, Tully said, "Dinner at the café tonight?"**

" **Sounds lovely."**

 **They walked in silence for a minute, then Tully said, "That was a real nice thing you did for Captain Tanner."**

 **Charley smiled slightly. "I don't mind having Roc with me during the day."**

" **No, I'm talking about the fact that you contacted your dad."**

" **I…"**

 **Tully chuckled. "Tanner said a Colonel Williams was involved. I doubt there's more than one Colonel Williams out there that would do what he's doing for the captain."**

 **Charley looked up at him. "Well, Captain Boggs was a big help when I explained what I was hoping to do. He spoke to Major Gleason and they decided it was worth a shot. So they let me call dad."**

" **You always get your way with the colonel, don't you?"**

 **Charley laughed. "Most of the time. Being an only child does have a few advantages."**

 **Tully swatted his wife playfully on the butt. "Brat."**


End file.
